This Application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) based on Patent Application 2004-290141 filed in Japan on Oct. 1, 2004, the entire content of which is incorporated in the present Application by reference.
The present invention relates to an interface for entering print control information used for print control of a printer via the screen of a display device.
Conventional devices of this type have been described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei 11-296323 (hereinafter called Patent Document 1) and in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-312092 (hereinafter called Patent Document 2). In Patent Document 1, screens used to enter print control information for print control of a printer are switched in accordance with the model name of the printer, the usage status of printer ports, and the level of the user. More specifically, screen layouts with a mutually different number of print control information items that can be entered and set up are prepared in advance and any of these screen layouts can be selectively displayed in accordance with the level of the user, etc.
In addition, in Patent Document 2, setup items with a high frequency of use by the user are displayed at the top of the interface screen, or, alternatively, only setup items with a high frequency of use are displayed on the interface screen.
Patent Document 1, however, amounts to no more than changing the number of print control information items that can be entered and set up on screen by selectively displaying any of the screen layouts in accordance with the level of the user, etc., and does not go as far as changing icons and explanations etc. concerning the print control information items in accordance with the level of the user.
In addition, Patent Document 2 amounts to no more than providing a prioritized display of setup items with a high frequency of use by a user and does not go as far as changing icons and explanations etc. concerning print control information in accordance with the level of the user.
Specifically, for example, despite the presence of simple print control information, which is frequently used, and complex print control information, which is practically unused, icons and explanations etc. concerning the print control information are not changed in accordance with the level of the user. As a result, this created the inconvenience that even if a user did not need basic explanations etc. concerning simple print control information, the explanations etc. were still displayed, impeding input operations, and even if a user wanted to read detailed explanations concerning complex print control information, the user could not obtain such explanations.